Csu Channel Islands

I’ve watched this young campus grow and it’s getting better and better all the time. The buildings are beautifully done with keeping a Spanish architecture style of this once state mental hospital. This campus just keeps growing and University Glen is a very nice residential area for families.

This school is wack. The worst Cal state school in California. If you wanna get your act together and just graduate this is the school to go to. If not stay out of this place. I don’t feel the college environment/​atmosphere here. This is not a party school. Very boring as well. Would not recommend going he
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Csuci really depends on what you make out of it, it’s a beautiful campus, close to the beach, and it’s filled with so many great opportunities! Getting involved enhances your overall experience at CI ! My advice is to join all the clubs and organizations you can. & for all you wonderful ladies out their RUSH ZETA

This school is UNBELIEVABLY underrated and is one of CA’s best kept secrets in regards to CSU’s.
PROS:
— The professors here are TOP NOTCH! I’ve had more pleasant experiences with professors at this school than I had troublesome. Most of the professors at CI have had industry experience in the field they’re teaching which makes learning much more intriguing.
— The classes are small which means lots of individual attention from professors than at a larger university. I’ve heard the school being described as a private school with a public university price, but I describe it as a community college with 4 year degree programs on account of how small the population is at the campus.
— It’s far away from main city Camarillo. This may be considered a con for some people, but for me, it’s a huge pro due to the fact that I’m not tempted by the distractions that the cities of Camarillo, Oxnard, and Thousand Oaks have to offer (and believe me, there’s PLENTY to do).
— Weekend trips to Santa Barbara or Santa Monica are a breeze considering that you are pretty close to both areas from Camarillo.
— Camarillo is predominately conservative, however, if you are a liberal or independent, don’t let these demographics discourage you from attending the college. You’ll still be able to enjoy the area without a problem.
— This is NOT A PARTY SCHOOL so don’t expect anything hardcore to happen on this campus. This is the school that goes to sleep with the rest of the world and rests on the weekend (ex: students go home on the weekends and campus life is nonexistent until Monday). Some people see this as a con, but I see this as an absolute pro!
CONS:
— Not a huge fan of the dorms. You get a Motel 6 feel for a Hilton price. As much as I loved meeting new people at the dorms, they were still overpriced for what they were. The rooms were tiny, there were A LOT of restrictions in regards to what you could and could not have, you had to attend pointless meetings, the beds were hard as a rock, and parking in SH1 (lot next to the dorms) was always limited, so you had to walk a large distance to get to the dorm. You also get kicked out of the dorms on specific days (ex: winter break, spring break, etc.), unless you pay an extra fee per day to stay there. You are also required to pay for a meal plan which I thought was a complete ripoff because even the cheapest meal plan was exorbitant! I now live off campus and have found a place where my room is about four times larger than my dorm room (renting a master), I have my own bathroom, my own garage, and plenty of luxurious amenities (hot tub, pool, private park, etc.). Despite having all these luxurious amenities (trying to give you an idea how expensive the dorms are), my new place is MUCH CHEAPER to live in for the whole year than the dorm were for two semesters (32 weeks; not including the days you are required to vacate, the food meal plan, and the parking permit)!
Unless you drive a super fuel efficient vehicle, I recommend finding a room in the city of Camarillo. Rent might be higher, but that’s money saved from commuting. Thousand Oaks is another great recommendation as far as safety and quality of life goes, but do not recommend living there if you don’t want a lot of wear and tear going up and down the Conejo Pass. If you have to live in Oxnard, stay as north of Oxnard as you can (highly recommend living north of the 101 in Oxnard). Most of Port Hueneme is pretty good, so I would not worry about Port Hueneme. Most of Ventura is good too.
— Parking is a NIGHTMARE. There are not that many spaces at the campus so I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting there early if you want a good parking space.
Solution: If you’re a commuter, buy a bus pass at the school’s police station and park your car at the Amtrak station in Camarillo. It’s $ 25 per semester (save $ 155 on regular pass for car) and you never have to worry about parking! If you don’t want to pay for transportation at all, there are bike lanes on Lewis Rd. If you do decide to go the bike route, take caution to your surroundings and wear protective bike gear!
— It is a commuter school, meaning that people come in and get out when they’re done, so making friends may not be as easy as one is lead to believe unless you try to join some club or start talking to people the first week of class until you make friends.
— No national chain restaurants like Starbucks, Chick-​fil-​A, Domino’s, Subway, etc. on campus like in other universities. The choices that they do have are either okay or terrible. Most of the places are overpriced for what you get as well.
BOTTOM LINE:
No place is perfect and I knew what I was getting myself into when I enrolled at this school. By the end of day, I have no regrets choosing this school as the school to complete my education. This is a school with plenty of potential and it shows as this campus has only been getting bigger since I’ve been here!
GO DOLPHINS!

I graduated the summer of 2009, so this is based on my experience around the time I was there.
I, like many others have thought about which CSU school to go to. CSU Northridge or CSU Channel Islands. I opted for CSUCI because I did not want to deal with the parking at CSUN.
Prior to transferring here, I took my GE classes at Moorpark College and was surprised at how small the classes were (the rooms and number of student). But looking back, I really appreciated going to a university, where the student teacher ratio was a lot like grad school. I got a chance to really know my professors, who ultimately helped me get into my dream grad school– University of Michigan.
I remember when I first started attending CSUCI, the library was near the bell tower in a small cramped building that always had a temp of at least 85 degrees. But once the new and greatly improved library was finished, I was in heaven! The structure itself doesn’t flow well with the rest of the structure around, but it’s a huge improvement from the original library.
Everything is pretty spread out-​bookstore, library, parking, etc but what a great way to get some exercise in! I was so happy when they finally put in some eateries. Tortillas by the bookstore is delicious and pretty filling. The only other restaurants they had when I was still there was subway, market and a fro yo place (other than the café.).
I love at how peaceful the whole campus is. There are definitely times where the campus has a creepy vibe because of the bars across the windows, but the school definitely has become more welcoming and beautiful.

Worst school ever!!! Inconsistent information, no guidance, and good luck taking to a counselor! I have never been so disappointed in a school expecially when I paid soooo much to this school. It’s disappointing! ! Would give this school negative stars!

Beautiful university! Very clean, serene and not at all overpopulated. In fact, it’s fairly empty (only 5,000 students or so). It’s small, so it’s easy to get around. The faculty members (especially in the enrollment office) are incredibly nice and approachable! The school is somewhat secluded, but that can be a good thing. The buildings are elegant in design, and the library is what I’d say is this school’s prized possession! It’s very modern and up to date in technology and design. If you’re contemplating attending, go check it out and see for yourself!

Every time I encounter staff they give misinformation & the student interns are just uninformed middle people :-/

Came here on a tour with the los angeles valley college trio program. The school in itself is unique. It used to be a mental hospital which of course they refuse to tell you during the tour, which by the way was the most boring school tour I’ve ever been a part of and ive been apart of at least 12 thanks to trio. Everything they spoke about you can learn on their website. They showed us literally no buildings, no student housing, the rec center or where students get their lunch. Keep in mind almost every school tour I been apart of does this. I learned nothing new from the tour. Also this school has no life, no fraternities and no sororities. Get good grades and go to a better school. That’s my advice. Two stars for the uniqueness of the school only. The staff is not as friendly as they claim to be.

Cal State Channel Islands is really nice university. There music studio is cool and great to record in for students.

I am not a student here, and only attended a theatrical play here on the campus. So my review speaks specifically of the campus in general.
The drive there from the valley was not bad. The road that leads to the campus from the freeway is long and a bit scary at night haha — not being from the area I had to fully trust in GPS.
The campus was stunning. The old buildings (yes I know the history) were just amazing to me. The lawns were well groomed and the overall vibe was very peaceful. The fountains were dramatic and lovely at the same time.
I have no idea what the school is like, but for the campus it’s a solid 4 stars for beauty!

I am not a student here, but staff. Don’t ever look for a job here. I have had 5 years of experience and a good college degree.
I do managerial work, but am in a low pay position. My pay is $ 14 per hour. I am struggling.
I was totally overwhelmed with work. Very disorganized.
Not their fault; the State of CA is broke.

The campus is beautiful and the community support is great. I like that CSUCI is small and the classes provide a more intimate connection with teachers. The small town factor is definitely why I chose CSUCI over CSUN.
That being said, the administration is terrible. I have had way too many problems with administration considering the short time I’ve been here. Their complete lack of ability to listen to a student or even ask for a student’s opinion/​problem is astonishing.
I once reached out to the assistant director of the Business and Econ program about switching from Business to Econ and he told me that graduating early is not a good reason to switch and I should stay with Business. Now, I work full time. I have 2 kids. I don’t really want to take a full time load at CSUCI for 3 more years, so obviously, graduating earlier is THE ONLY reason to switch majors. I just need a degree. I don’t care if it’s in Unicorn finger painting. I just need a degree as fast as possible.
Counselors… ugh… They’re pretty terrible everywhere, but CSUCI set a record for worst aftertaste. My counselor tried to talk me out of taking more classes. Ok, cool, whatever, that’s your opinion, thanks counselor. But when I try to move forward in the conversation, it’s my belief that a counselor shouldn’t try to talk you out of attending school. She took as little information from me as she could and then tried to tell me what to do. I said I have a job and asked if she had to work while she attended school. She let me know she’s a parent and that’s like a full time job. Oh honey, no, it isn’t. I have 2 kids too and when I told her that, she said I need to «give up» one of my commitments. Hey lady, we both know it won’t be my job or kids. Your job is to help me get through school, not to talk me into dropping out.
Financial aid also sucks here. They have «peer advisors» there to stare at you blankly when you ask questions. I was trying to get my financial aid award letter and they needed me to fill out a bunch of papers. Unfortunately, some of those papers had to come from the afformentioned counselor and the ENTIRE ADVISING DEPARTMENT decided to come in late on that day. So I calmly pleaded with the young gent. «Is there any way around this? I work full time. It’s hard for me to get here between 8:30 and 4 and they aren’t even open those hours today. (Which I didn’t know til I drove out here)»
«Let me check» He says *leaves to see wizard*
…
*Returns from wizard* «No» He says
«Uhhhhhhhhh» I stammer
*blink blink*
«Well, I guess that’s it then. I will probably just have to transfer to a school that offers better support for students who aren’t drains on society»
Ok, so maybe I embellished that last line a wee bit, but the point remains. If you are not a worthless drain on society who can go to class and talk about the car your mommy and daddy bought you and how the dorms are like so boring, you probably can’t afford to jeopardize your future by attending CSUCI. They are not equipped to handle grown ups and frankly, I want to gouge my eyes out listening to the morons they allow to attend class there.
To recap: Campus real purty. Teachers are aight. Administration/​support staff makes the DMV look like the lollipop guild welcoming you to munchkin land.

2 stars for parking ticket; 5 stars for the nice & helpful administrators.
Beware of the free 30 minute parking spaces at csuci.
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If you are meeting with an advisor or for another purpose and are not sure how long you will be, you can get a $ 46.00 parking ticket.
handles payment or dispute of these tickets. You have 21 calendar days from the date the ticket was issued or 14 calendar days from the mailing of the notice of the ticket. After the dispute time has expired,
will only give you the option to pay for the ticket.
From ticket date: $ 46 if paid within 24 days; $ 81.50 if paid between 25 — 34 days; and $ 96.00 if paid after 35 days.
Contact or visit the csuci Police & Parking Services 805−437−8430. Ask for the «Citation Appeals Process» brochure. They are very nice & helpful people.
Recommendation: Vista Shuttle from Metrolink Station to csuci
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I’d like to recommend taking the Vista shuttle from the Camarillo Metrolink station. Parking is free at the Metrolink station and appears to not be over crowded so that you can get a parking space. Once the bus leaves the Camarillo Metrolink station, it takes only about 5 to 10 minutes to get to campus. The bus leaves about every half an hour. On the way back, make sure that you ask for the shuttle that goes to the Camarillo Metrolink as there are shuttles that go to other destinations.

What a great campus. I’m only in my second semester at CSUCI and I love it. The campus is beautiful!
The campus buildings are spread out, which is great because I like walking around. Its bad though when you are late to class because there is no parking. However, I’m glad that parking is spread out because it gives the campus more scenery. Not like other schools that are just big parking lots.
A lot of people like to believe that the campus is haunted because it used to be an old mental hospital. But even taking night classes, it is not that bad. The buildings are mission style. Within some of the buildings, they have little courtyards. Its a very «California style» campus.
Other than the look of the campus, the professors have all been decent. Of course all the upper division professors seem to care a little bit more. There are some newer professors, but the ones I have had did a fairly good job. The class sizes are pretty small, no more than 50 (for a larger class). That gives you a better chance to get to know the professor and for them to know you.
Overall, I’m glad to be at CSUCI. If you go, you’ll find that you will really like the campus and you will have to check out TORTILLAS, the on campus restaurant. Its also wonderful. But you can check the review I did on them :)

I graduated from here in 2010 with a degree in business and minor in economics and could not have been happier with the experience. The campus is beautiful, the new library is extremely useful and the classes are small. The professors showed up every day and demonstrated a genuine passion the subject they taught and the students they were teaching. Even when faced with budget cuts and furlough days, all of my instructors showed up day in and day out to provide an exceptional educational experience. I only experienced furloughs in my final semester but had one teacher (who I will not name) show up on furlough days in spite of the mandate not to – they cared that much about our education.
The interdisciplinary program established by the university was a unique and beneficial experience as well. The course focusing on socially responsible business was a highlight of my educational experience.
I would urge you to readily consider this school as an exceptional option for higher education. The facilities, the faculty and the administration all truly care about what they are doing and the people they are serving.

I don’t even know what to say about this school lol.
It definitely wasn’t what I expected college to be, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The things about CSUCI that stand out to me are:
1) You’ll probably get second hand smoke at this school! It seems like at least 50% of the students are smokers.
2) Getting classes is pretty easy considering it’s such a small school.
3) You see the SAME people everywhere.
4) Don’t walk around at night. This school is creepy as hell, considering it once was the Camarillo Mental Hospital… there are still even buildings you can sneak into with iron gates on the windows of doors. The Ring was also filmed here– that proves to you how weird this campus is haha.
5) The cafeteria is GOOD. Maybe I’m just a cheap date, but I love the Islands Café.
Hope I didn’t scare you too much. Enjoy your college life here!

The campus is worth exploring. The location’s history and landscape make your mind run wild.
I’ve been taught by various professors at this campus and yes there are newbies and foreigners (that lack skills or have strong accents) but thats not the majority and if one were to stay and experience a full schedule then they would be able to see that every professor is different regardless of the nationality or experience. In the real world not all bosses, clients or co-​workers are white, english only speaking males with perfect accents! Its ignorant to think that the rest of the world isn’t «catching-​up».
This is a friendly 4-​year university with a bright future.
Due to graduate this MAY!!! Might miss it but might come back for my MBA.
CSUCI! Haters aren’t wanted here!

1. tiny campus with lots of empty buildings left over from the mental state hospital for further expansion
2. really small class size
3. considering this is part of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, it is in the middle of nowhere
4. nearby beach
5. still relatively unknown

A very small campus that use to be a mental hospital, so its secluded between mountains and fields. Classes are very small only about 24 students per class. All the professors are either foreign with strong accents or new grads that lack in teaching skills. Parking on campus isn’t great. I personally think community college is better than this university. Compare CSUCI with the other Cal States… this school is at the bottom of the pitts.